Hypervigilance - How To Not Be Scared

[Lisa]

Hypervigilance. What do you do? When you are TERRIFIED! I feel like jumping out of the window with nerves all over the place.

What do you do when you're bricking it? How to calm down?

I have music on loud. Doing several things at once to try to distract. I feel like Im on speed and on a very bad trip.

Anyone offer any ideas or help?

 

[mightsurvive]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww Lisa

I get panich attacks when that happens and i have slowly learnt to get used to them so they dont affect me so much anymore. Not sure how i did that though. Is that how you feel?

I have read that running from the situation is not the best thing to do. Like you, i keep myslef busy and i try to be around people so if something happens then i know people will make sure im ok. Sorry i dont have more practical advice. Sorry. I know its hard. I hope someone can help you with this more than me. and i hope that it gets better.

Take care

 

[Don]

how I quell anxieties

Hypervigilance. What do you do? When you are TERRIFIED! I feel like jumping out of the window with nerves all over the place.

What do you do when you're bricking it? How to calm down?

I have music on loud. Doing several things at once to try to distract. I feel like Im on speed and on a very bad trip.

Anyone offer any ideas or help?

hi, Lisa,

I find doing the opposite of what you're doing works well for me: reducing outside stimulation, doing just one familiar thing at a time and slowly enough so that I've enough awareness to watch how my emotions are doing (aka 'mindfulness').

Towards avoiding getting into such a trip in the first place, I watch my diet (pop and chocolate are just deadly to me, at least in moderate or excessive amounts), take mini-naps during the day (one or two of just 5-10 minutes each), and I try to fit in a 'meditation break' (even if it's just a quiet twenty minutes of calm reflection in a quiet setting, though usually I have my Lava Lamp going with a nature sounds CD for background music -- the objective is to 'blank your mind', literally try not to dwell on anything). The closest analogy I can come up with is that our emotions are like a rechargeable battery, if you keep topping them up during the day with breaks in your routine, you'll usually have a reserve to ride over the rough bits.

When my mind's totally lost it, I sit myself down and work on simple Find-A-Word & crossword puzzles. There's just something about doing easy things like that, that takes my attention away from what's troubling me, and helps me think in a more ordered fashion again.

Good luck! Like most things, an episode like you're having will surely fade with time.

Don

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

Hi Lisa,

I used to take the easy way out and just pop a Valium in my mouth. Which I still do in extreme cases.

Now I find a real quiet place like my bed, and take deep breaths. I start by inhaling and think the words in my mind "I am" then exhale and think in my mind "At Peace" and continue to inhale and exhale "I am at peace" until I calm down.

Then I make myself "not think" that is real hard to do and I can only go maybe 10 seconds with no thoughts entering my mind. But as soon as they start to enter I clear my mind again for another 10 seconds and try to do this for at least 10 minutes.

It takes patients and the want to really calm yourself. But it helps IMO

Tammy

 

[Lisa]

Thanks guys. Sorry if this is all over the place. Im totally wired right now. But im going to try some of these suggestions. I'm not troubled by anything specific... just feel so scared. And then, because it also ****ing happens to be windy, it's not helping. I Mean, its not just a little bit windy, it's bloody blowing up a gale out there. I hate the wind, so to have this on top of being so scared is just taking me over the edge. My window keeps knocking and rattling with the gusts and it just sends me over. I just feel scared, agitated, edgy, hyper vigilant. I dont know why. I couldnt be around people right now. I'd run or back up if they moved. But could try keepnig busy. Wil ltry the bed thing too, thank you all. sorry. thanks. :wall:

 

[Deleted member 541]

Lisa,

I agreee that loud music right now is NOT what you need. Actually if you want music something very soft and soothing would be better. Really soft and soothing.

Just keep telling yourself that you are safe, it's just the wind, and you will be ok. Deep breathe, maybe a warm bath????? I know hard to do, and easy for me to say, but try to ground yourself and stay calm. Or at least calmer than you are right now...

 

[2quilt]

the wind does the same thing to me too, Lisa. i hate storms.
I get in the tub of hot water, in the middle of the house, where there are no windows, and close the door and put in some epsome salts and sit in the hot water and soak myself. I take some Benadrly or somethng to make myself sleepy and go to sleep. i make myself some comfort food and go to sleep.
Put a blanket in the dryer to get it warm, wrap myself up in it, and go get in bed. Make a nest.

 

[kers]

Ooh, I'm totally trying the blanket-in-the-dryer thing soon!

Another thing that works for me, since I hate baths, is filling a tub with hot water and bubble bath and soaking my feet and legs. Sometimes I light candles and sit on the side of the tub, reading or just being quiet.

 

[Grama-Herc]

Lisa

I agree with the others. Quiet time with any form of selftalk that is soothing and relaxful is what you need to be doing

Personally, I lay in bed and image that I am at the beach with the sun on my face and a slight breeze blowing across my body untill I can actually feel it.

This calms me down and also help with the hypervigilance too

Hope this or one of the other suggestions help you

 

[Seeking_Nirvana]

I bought a heating blanket and it has been a dream come true.

Tammy

 

[Deleted member 93]

I have music on loud. Doing several things at once to try to distract. I feel like Im on speed and on a very bad trip.

When I saw this part I think I got the same reactions as others... Wrong move. I mean this is very understandable of a reaction until you do learn this more with experience, find what clicks for you. Your mind is going from 0 to 90 in no time and you feel you need to get some stimulus to block it. Makes sense you need more than currently happening when really you need less. You need something slow paced and solo you can focus on. Loud does not help me at all.

For me one day Evie described it best. We were talking about lights. Over stimulated, sensory overload. That is what I like about guided imagery. I can put on head phones and block it all out if I have another adult to "play catch" when the kids act like kids. I can focus on a calm voice with soothing music. It brings me down a few notches and I do use skills learned from CBT to bring my self down too. Nothing loud.

When it is not over kill or about to go over the edge but am not well all TVs off, no music, I ask people to talk amongst them self quietly and I play puzzle games. Hubs assumes I am close to overload and gives me space when he sees a puzzle game now. It is repetitive but I can focus. It helps. Keeps mind busy but not so much I am over stimulated like the things you are trying can do. I have done this too and hope you will learn from my mistakes. Also, removing all stimuli can back fire.

The warm blanket (winter only) sounds awesome and will plan to try it next time! Think it will go well with a video game. There is much you can do to keep the mind active and slowly bring it down at the same time like I do. I know it can be impossible to "just relax".

Also, pop corn is low cal so not and evil choice to keep yourself busy. I am an eater :)

 

[reallydown]

Unfortunately I don't have much advice on this as I have not yet mastered it myself...If things are not too bad...I try to put on music I like or play game son the computer...btu if it's gettign bad I start shuttign down...if at night, I grab my tennis racket so I have something there in case someone breaks in I can whack them on the head (sounds stupid I know but somehow reassuring) but yeah...I know it can get nasty...even the sound of the clock makes you edgy...Anyway, hang in there. What others have suggested seems pretty good. I especially like Veiled's popcorn idea...I ought to try that one out myself ;P